The Second Week in June
We Read…
A big theme that we can find within our passages for today is this: Only God can be our savior! We are not saved by popular kings (like the Israelites asked for in 1 Samuel), we are not saved by ourselves, we are not saved by worldly things/aspirations, and we are not even saved by our loved ones (like Jesus reminds the people in Mark). It can be so easy to put our hope and faith in the things around us, especially when we can’t physically see God right in front of us. But we are reminded that God is working, God hears us, and God is the only one who can offer us salvation and the fullest life!
Have you ever tried to find your purpose or answers in something or someone other than God? Maybe this is where you’re currently at.
If you have chosen to let God be the center of your life, how has this changed you?
What advice would you give to someone who is struggling to put God above all else?
1 Samuel 8:4-11, 16-20
4 So all the Israelite elders got together and went to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “Listen. You are old now, and your sons don’t follow in your footsteps. So appoint us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” 6 It seemed very bad to Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” so he prayed to the Lord.
7 The Lord answered Samuel, “Comply with the people’s request—everything they ask of you—because they haven’t rejected you. No, they’ve rejected me as king over them. 8 They are doing to you only what they’ve been doing to me from the day I brought them out of Egypt to this very minute, abandoning me and worshipping other gods. 9 So comply with their request, but give them a clear warning, telling them how the king will rule over them.”
10 Then Samuel explained everything the Lord had said to the people who were asking for a king. 11 “This is how the king will rule over you,” Samuel said:
“He will take your sons, and will use them for his chariots and his cavalry and as runners for his chariot.
16 He will take your male and female servants, along with the best of your cattle and donkeys, and make them do his work. 17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and then you yourselves will become his slaves! 18 When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you chose for yourselves, but on that day the Lord won’t answer you.”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel and said, “No! There must be a king over us 20 so we can be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and lead us and fight our battles.”
Psalm 138
1 I give thanks to you
with all my heart, Lord.
I sing your praise before all other gods.
2 I bow toward your holy temple
and thank your name
for your loyal love and faithfulness
because you have made
your name and word
greater than everything else.
3 On the day I cried out, you answered me.
You encouraged me with inner strength.
4 Let all the earth’s rulers
give thanks to you, Lord,
when they hear what you say.
5 Let them sing about the Lord’s ways
because the Lord’s glory is so great!
6 Even though the Lord is high,
he can still see the lowly,
but God keeps his distance
from the arrogant.
7 Whenever I am in deep trouble,
you make me live again;
you send your power
against my enemies’ wrath;
you save me with your strong hand.
8 The Lord will do all this for my sake.
Your faithful love lasts forever, Lord!
Don’t let go of what your hands have made.
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
13 We have the same faithful spirit as what is written in scripture: I had faith, and so I spoke. We also have faith, and so we also speak. 14 We do this because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus, and he will bring us into his presence along with you. 15 All these things are for your benefit. As grace increases to benefit more and more people, it will cause gratitude to increase, which results in God’s glory.
16 So we aren’t depressed. But even if our bodies are breaking down on the outside, the person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day. 17 Our temporary minor problems are producing an eternal stockpile of glory for us that is beyond all comparison. 18 We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that can’t be seen. The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal.
5 We know that if the tent that we live in on earth is torn down, we have a building from God. It’s a house that isn’t handmade, which is eternal and located in heaven.
Mark 3:20-35
20 Jesus entered a house. A crowd gathered again so that it was impossible for him and his followers even to eat. 21 When his family heard what was happening, they came to take control of him. They were saying, “He’s out of his mind!”
22 The legal experts came down from Jerusalem. Over and over they charged, “He’s possessed by Beelzebul. He throws out demons with the authority of the ruler of demons.”
23 When Jesus called them together he spoke to them in a parable: “How can Satan throw Satan out? 24 A kingdom involved in civil war will collapse. 25 And a house torn apart by divisions will collapse. 26 If Satan rebels against himself and is divided, then he can’t endure. He’s done for. 27 No one gets into the house of a strong person and steals anything without first tying up the strong person. Only then can the house be burglarized. 28 I assure you that human beings will be forgiven for everything, for all sins and insults of every kind. 29 But whoever insults the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. That person is guilty of a sin with consequences that last forever.” 30 He said this because the legal experts were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”
We Think…
What stands out to you in these verses? Does anything confuse you or not make sense?
How do these verses compare to your own experience in life or in the church? What are you considering? What questions come to mind?
Why do you think Israel wanted a king instead of trusting God to lead them?
Why did Jesus say his family wasn’t his family?
We Feel…
What emotions are you experiencing today? How are you making space for these feelings?
Where have you seen God today or this week? What is pointing you to God (maybe it is something in creation, maybe a friend or adult that cares for you)?
What has God made new in your life? In your heart?
How has God encouraged you with inner strength (Ps 138:3)?
Where do you need God to come through for you now?
We Believe…
Is Jesus telling us to abandon our families in Mark 3?
Wouldn’t Jesus’s mom feel a little slighted that he said, “Who is my mother”?
This feels like a contradiction to the commandment to honor your parents. Jesus isn’t saying that our churches need to teach people to cut all ties with their families, and it definitely isn’t saying to go tell your family that you’re done with them because Jesus said so. Instead, Jesus is reordering the world his listeners were familiar with. We believe that Jesus comes into our lives, comes into the world, and reorders them into the way God’s Kingdom is meant to be. At the time of this interaction, the family came above all else, but Jesus is showing a glimpse of God’s Kingdom. We can be close to those who are in the body of Christ with us in a way that is like family relationships. We can love one another deeply, even if we have nothing else in common. The normal social order is no longer the deciding factor in who we share our hearts and lives with - instead, we are called to love Jesus and let all other love flow from there.
We Practice…
Read Psalm 138 by yourself or in a small group. Take time to read this psalm in multiple ways. Maybe print it out and underline or highlight words you love, words you have questions about, and phrases that jump out. Maybe read it in a few different translations. Let this be your prayer today and this week!
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